THE PLOVERS 315 



excepting to those who shoot only on beaches where 

 everything larger has about been exterminated, are 

 the ring-necks or semi-palmated plovers, small migra- 

 tory birds which are found usually on the sandy shores, 

 living on minute insects and shell-fish, and in the in- 

 terior about the margins of ponds and rivers. They 

 run away frequently as one approaches, or fly for a 

 short distance and at once begin feeding again in a 

 most unsuspicious way. The European ring-neck and 

 the little ring-plover are European species. The Wil- 

 son's plover is similar to the semi-palmated, and is 

 found on both coasts from Long Island and California 

 south. The piping plover is another shore bird some- 

 what more wary. It runs with great rapidity and flies 

 short distances. When fat it is fairly good to eat. I 

 have shot them with the others for want of something 

 better to do, but should not regret seeing them pro- 

 tected at all times by law. The belted piper and the 

 snowy plover are small varieties found in the West, 

 the latter in the far West, from Salt Lake to the 

 Pacific, and is common on the sea-coast of California. 



